Record changer shafts of automatic record players

ABSTRACT

An automatic record player changer mechanism comprising a cylindrical shaft with a grade near its top end, shaped through an eccentric rabbet defining a half-moon shaped support. A longitudinal groove is within the shaft and runs the entire length thereof. Attached to the top end of the shaft by means of a shank and within the groove is a tongue of two identical laminar pieces having longitudinal openings therein. The records are stacked on the tongue and shaft. Within the groove in the shaft below the tongue is a lever with its fulcrum near the midpoint of the lever. The lever widens at its top end to form a horizontal flange and is connected at its bottom end to a lever connected to the pick-up mechanism. A notch is cut in the upper portion of the lever to define an oblique cam surface which when encountering a traverse shank causes the lever to move axially upward and move the record laterally so that it can by gravity fall onto the turntable.

[451 May 20, 1975 RECORD CHANGER SHAFTS OF AUTOMATIC RECORD PLAYERS [75] Inventor: Raul Antonio Vega, Buenos Aires,

Argentina [73] Assignee: Winco Sociedad Anonima lndustrial,

Buenos Aires, Argentina 22 Filedz Jan. 16,1973

21 Appl.No.:324,232

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant Examiner-Steven L. Stephen Attorney, Agent, or FirmStevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [57] ABSTRACT An automatic record player changer mechanism comprising a cylindrical shaft with a grade near its top end, shaped through an eccentric rabbet defining a half-moon shaped support. A longitudinal groove is within the shaft and runs the entire length thereof. Attached to the top end of the shaft by means of a shank and within the groove is a tongue of two identical laminar pieces having longitudinal openings therein. The records are stacked on the tongue and shaft. Within the groove in the shaft below the tongue is a lever with its fulcrum near the midpoint of the lever. The lever widens at its top end to form a horizontal flange and is connected at its bottom end to a lever connected to the pick-up mechanism. A notch is cut in the upper portion of the lever to define an oblique cam surface which when encountering a traverse shank causes the lever to move axially upward and move the record laterally so that it can by gravity fall onto the turntable.

4 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEB W29 SHEET 10F 2 PATENTH] MAY 2 01975 SHEET 2 BF 2 lll RECORD CHANGER SHAFTS OF AUTOMATIC RECORD PLAYERS The present invention relates to improvements in record changer shafts of automatic record players.

As is known, records played by automatically playing pick-ups, are put on a support provided by a shaft, emerging from the center of a turntable, which supports them by means of a grade interrupting the straightness of the shaft as well as its continuity.

In a portion of the shaft, a tongue is positioned which at a given time guides the disc out of the grade and allows it to drop toward the turntable.

Generally the shaft requires that its dimension match the central disc hole, as nearly as possible. The disc slides laterally on the grade and the mechanism for that action, generally complex, is furnished by several very small elements, including coil or spiral springs.

Because of the reduced sizes of all of these elements a high degree of accuracy and exactness of their dimensions is required. Nevertheless they are subject to wear.

Furthermore the elements do not act efficiently when the disc hole is widened by use, caused by a bad sliding through the grade. Sometimes this widening prevents the dropping of the disc, or causes the simultaneous dropping of two discs.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages and has as its object to provide a perfect synchronized movement, without little or combined elements or internal springs. Further, the present invention has as another object to provide some diameter clearance, to avoid untimely wearing in the disc hole.

The present invention uses as a moving mechanism only a lever, that moves the disc through the grade smoothly and which is combined with a top tongue. This mechanism never entangles because the tongue comprises two indentical juxtaposed pieces which allow exact slidings by gravity. Excessively exact calibration is thus unnecessary thereby avoiding the entanglement caused by dirtiness or by the lack of lubrication. Also different disc thicknesses do not impair the operation.

The present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description, given by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the attached drawings, in which FIG. 1 shows the shaft in longitudinal elevational section;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line 22;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line 33;

FIG. 4 shows in detail the tongue that is disposed on the shafts top end; and

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 explain the shaft operation, as acting upon the discs.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the support or record changer shaft is shown in elevational section. It can be seen that it comprises a straight shaft 1 of which a section is shown in a projected drawing through line 33, having a longitudinal groove 2 and a rabbet cutaway portion near its top end, which causes a grade 3, shown projected in the attached drawing, line 22.

At the top end of shaft 1 within the groove 2 a tongue 4 is disposed having a central bore which is retained by a shank 6 piercing shaft 1. Groove 2 in this portion of shaft 1 is curved, matching one side of tongue 4 which is disposed freely and works by gravity.

In the lower trunk of shaft 1, within groove 2, a lever 7 is disposed having near its midpoint a rectangularly shaped opening 8 through which shank 9 passes and about which lever 7 pivots.

The top end of lever 7 widens to a dimension smaller than the natural diameter of the disc hole and presents at its upward end a horizontal flange. Near the top end of lever 7 a notch 10 is cut having an oblique cam surface 10 which when contacting shank ll forces an upwardly axial displacement of lever 7, such movement being permitted because of the clearance between the opening 8 and the shank 9, making possible a firm and always equal position.

The bottom end oflever 7 is positioned within the automatic mechanism box of the record changer and is connected to a lever 12 which pushes the bottom portion of lever 7 to the left when radial movement of the pick-up is over 15 cm.

In FIG. 4, the disposition of the top tongue 4 is shown, by juxtapositioning two exactly equal pieces. This eases the action, since if the thicknesses are not exact, they risk being entangled; and if they remain loose, they do not act properly. On the other hand, the duplicity of the elements permits proper clearance and lessens the friction. If the two laminar pieces of the present invention were to operate so in unison that they may be considered as being one unit then the records will slide down the sides of the two laminar pieces with equal facility to that of a single piece tongue. However, since the two laminar pieces are separate they will not operate in such unison so that at any one time one or the other of the plates will be sleightly above or below the other so that the surface in contact with the record is approximately half that of the surface of a single tongue apparatus.

To more clearly understand the operation of the mechanism reference is amde also to FIGS. 5-8.

Assuming that there is at least one disc on the grade 3 of shaft 1, aligned horizontally by means ofa conventional device for stacking records (not shown) when the pick-up arm moves away from the shaft a distance of l5 cm (maximum size of conventional discs) the conventional internal mechanism gives an axial impulse to lever 12 through a sufficient distance to operate lever 7 and cause movement on its fulcrum 89. When the oblique cam surface 10 of the notch 10 encounters the shank 11, the lever 7 in moving towards the shaft center 1, rises within the disc hole to carry the disc and center it on the shaft 1, the lever 7 being of lesser diameter than that of the disc hole. Upon the disc being centered it drops onto the turntable. While the disc is dropping lever 7 remains within the groove 2 to ease the passage of the disc.

When many discs are stacked all but the lowest are retained by the tongue 4. After the lowest disc drops, the lowest disc being held on tongue 4 drops onto grade 3 of shaft 1 after lever 12 returns to its initial position. The levers 7 and 12 are then in position for the next cycle.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic record player changer mechanism comprising a cylindrical shaft having a grade near its top end, where the record is locked until it is freed by being pushed, said shaft being straight and said grade being shaped through an eccentric rabbet defining a half-moon shaped support; a longitudinal groove having sides and a bottom within said shaft opposite to the said rabbet and running the entire length of the shaft, a tongue of two laminar identical pieces, each being independantly freely disposed and movably controlled by a single transverse shank through a longitudinal opening in said laminar pieces; a lever within the groove having a fulcrum near the midpoint of the lever, said lever widening at its top end near the plane of the grade, and being connected at its lower end to a lever connected to the pick-up mechanism.

.2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the pieces of said tongue, located at the top end of the shaft are curved on one surface thereof to match the bottom able the lever to be displaced angularly and axially. 

1. An automatic record player changer mechanism comprising a cylindrical shaft having a grade near its top end, where the record is locked until it is freed by being pushed, said shaft being straight and said grade being shaped through an eccentric rabbet defining a half-moon shaped support; a longitudinal groove having sides and a bottom within said shaft opposite to the said rabbet and running the entire length of the shaft, a tongue of two laminar identical pieces, each being independantly freely disposed and movably controlled by a single transverse shank through a longitudinal opening in said laminar pieces; a lever within the groove having a fulcrum near the midpoint of the lever, said lever widening at its top end near the plane of the grade, and being connected at its lower end to a lever connected to the pick-up mechanism.
 2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the pieces of said tongue, located at the top end of the shaft are curved on one surface thereof to match the bottom shape of said groove where it freely enters.
 3. The mechanism of claim 1 including a transverse shank positioned below said grade and contactable with said lever and wherein the lever near its top and on the internal border thereof, has a notch, said notch having an oblique cam surface which when encountering said transverse shank, causes said lever to move axially upward.
 4. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the fulcrum of said lever is comprised of an opening in said lever through which a shank is passed with clearance to enable the lever to be displaced angularly and axially. 